I've made mistakes... we all have. It's part of our nature and, in reality, it's about taking chances and growing. If you aren't taking chances, you'll never grow and see how far you can go. The important part is learning from those failures.

I remember the story of Jen. She is an old friend of mine who I first met when I started my wizard training. One night, Jen and I were just hanging out after a long study session and she suddenly got quiet. I asked her what was wrong but she wouldn't tell me. Eventually, she told me that she really liked me but was afraid of what I would say. I was dumbfounded. I thought that we were just friends and never thought about her that way.

She confessed that this had happened before... but to her. When the other person told her the same thing, she immediately laughed at him. She told him that there was no way that she could love him since he was beneath her. He wasn't attractive or smart or had any of the qualities that she desired in someone.

She regrets this... not because she told him the truth but the way that she told it to him. He was devastated and it was the end of their friendship. He no longer came around. As the years went by, she realized how cruel she had been to him but he was no longer interested in the things that she said. She had hurt him deeply.

She was afraid that the same thing would happen to her. I told her that, although I could see that there could have been something between us, there was someone else. She was disappointed but she did appreciate my honesty and the way that I made her feel.